Sound absorbing panel system and method for connecting panels

Abstract

A clip is disclosed for use in joining juxtaposed sound absorbing panels having a sound absorbing material held in a frame extending around the outer edge of the sound absorbing material, said frame having a projecting lip portion. The clip comprises a front plate having opposing end sections; offset members extending backwardly from the opposing end sections; and, opposing securing members extending downwardly from the back of the offset members. Adjacent sound absorbing panels are placed together by the securing members of the clip being placed between sound absorbing material and the frame of two adjacent panels. The sound absorbing panels may be either individual, smaller panels or may be a larger panel made up of smaller panels, stacked one on top of the other, and having a vertical frame member common to the vertical edges with the frame member having a U-shaped cross-section. Also disclosed is the sound absorbing panel system made possible by use of the clip and panels.

Having fully described this new and unique invention, the following is claimed: 
     
       1. A sound absorbing panel system comprising a plurality of juxtaposed, separate sound absorbing panels attached together at their frame portions by clips; said sound absorbing panels comprising a sound absorbing material held by a frame extending around at least one vertical and at least one horizontal outer edge of the sound absorbing material, and said frame having at least one projecting lip portion; said clip comprising a front plate having opposing end sections, offset members extending backwardly from the opposing end sections, and opposing securing members extending downwardly from the back of the offset members; and, said panels being held together to form a single panel by said frame portions of adjacent panels being secured together by the front plate of said clip spanning the front or rear of the frame portions of adjacent panels and said opposing securing members extending one each inside the projecting lip portions of the frames of adjacent sound absorbing panels. 
     
     
       2. A system as in claim 1 wherein the frame has a U-shaped cross-section. 
     
     
       3. A system as in claim 1 wherein the sound absorbing panels have sound absorbing material completely enclosed by a heat shrunk plastic material. 
     
     
       4. A method for making a uniform sound absorption panel comprising attaching a plurality of smaller sound absorbing panels together by their frame portions to form the larger uniform panel; said sound absorbing panels comprising a sound absorbing material held by a frame extending around at least one vertical and at least one horizontal outer edge of the sound absorbing material, and said frame having at least one projecting lip portion; said clip comprising a front plate having opposing end sections, offset members extending backwardly from the opposing end sections, and opposing securing members extending downwardly from the back of the offset members; and, said panels being held together to form a single panel by said frame portion of adjacent panels being secured together by the front plate of said clip spanning the front or rear of the frame portions of adjacent panels, and said opposing securing members extending one each inside the projecting lip portions of the frames of adjacent sound absorbing panels. 
     
     
       5. A method as in claim 1 wherein the frame has a U-shaped cross-section. 
     
     
       6. A sound absorbing panel system comprising at least two sound absorbing panel sections attached together in a juxtaposed position by one or more clips; said sound absorbing sections each having vertical frame members having lip portions extending vertically along the vertical edge of the face of the section, and each section having at least two smaller panels, with one of said smaller panels stacked on top of the other, within the vertical frame members, and with each of said smaller panels being bound on at least its top or bottom horizontal edge by horizontal frame members having a lip portion extending along the horizontal edge of the section, said smaller panels each comprising a sound absorbing material bounded on its outside edges by said vertical and horizontal frame members; and, said clip comprising a front plate having opposing end sections, offset members extending backwardly from the opposing end sections, and opposing securing members extending downwardly from the back of the offset members with the panel sections attached one to the other by opposing securing members of a clip engaging adjacent smaller panels between the sound absorbing material and a horizontal frame member. 
     
     
       7. A system as in claim 6 wherein the frame members have a U-shaped cross-section.